This week in the art area the children have been making some sea creatures to decorate our water area with. They first made some jellyfish, using tissue paper to create the tails. We had some great scissor skills being demonstrated as most children drew their jellyfishes and then cut them out independently. Later on in the week some children made other animals, including crabs and fish, and chose how to create them using a range of craft and mark making resources. Some children decided to take their artwork home and we are going to hang the rest up with string We can’t wait to see what other underwater creations they might come up with for the water area!

In the literacy area we have been creating our own comics. We used the digital software to share our ideas and create a personalised comic. We showed great creativity and imagination skills. We have collated these our friends to read!!

This afternoon we participated in a community litter pick as part of our Eco accreditation. We would like to thank those families who came along to support with this. We managed to collect lots of litter and the rain didn’t put us off :)!

This week in literacy we have been exploring story books, sharing our likes and dislikes, retelling familiar stories and making predictions with new ones.  A love of books in early childhood develops the ability to make connections and ask questions, giving them a strong foundation in early literacy and critical thinking skills. 

“I like it when he shouts Quaaack when he takes the letter ‘a’” MS

“I like the story, it’s got a rainbow crayon at the end” QCI

“The wolf burns his bottom” LF

“His bottom comes off” AC

“It was funny when she emptied the bucket of water on her” RM

“The wasp was angry because the other animals were laughing at him” FMc

“Why was he sad?” RM

Mr Mcintosh has begun an exciting new project in literacy this week so look out for next weeks blog.

In the art area this week we have been busy making our own crowns. The children have been working on their scissor skills as they cut the paper in to a spiky design. They then decorated their crowns using a variety of craft materials, including paint, crayons, pencils, sequins, pom poms, feathers and glitter. We then measured them against our heads and wore them at nursery!

This week in the baking area we have been baking biscuits. The children have been learning new skills like rolling, cutting and continuing to use the scales to measure ingredients. The children have also been learning about splitting portions into equal parts with the dough. They have been learning about different consistencies and changing properties of ingredients as they come together.

We were invited to visit Crookfur Cottages as they have an afternoon with some robotic displays.The children watched the robot display and were able to control the dog called Martin.There was also a robot in the form of a human head.  It was called a humanoid robot.   It responded to questions from the children and could change the colour of its face, change its expressions and add a beard and mustache and vision.   The robot was able to appear happy and sad.   The robot was created in the Robotarium in the University of Edinburgh. The children had lots of questions for the robot!

Can the robot do a handstand? (MMcL)

Can the robot dance? (AK)

What is the robot’s name? (ML)   

How are you today? (MMcL)

How old are you? (ML)

Why does it turn white? (BH)

Afterwards they visited Fairweather Park!

The children had been looking at digital technology this week, they visited robots, to extend upon this interest we brought the shero cars onto the play room. The children had had different experiences of these cars some never using them before, some more experienced.The children positioned the mat so they could control/ program the car to travel in different directions depending on the chosen coloured mat. The children either worked as individual or as teams to solve this programming problem until they were able to get the car to travel in the direction they wanted. 

This week in the block area the children have been exploring risky play through use of the big blocks. They demonstrated excellent turn taking skills and risk assessed their play to enable positive risks.The children also explored smaller scale builds using the dollhouse, train tracks,and magna tiles which we will extend into next week as we explore a variety of microcosims. 

In baking this week the children have been baking their own apple crumble. They have been exploring new techniques and skills throughout this recipe including measuring using spoons and scales, learning to rub together butter and flour to create breadcrumbs and chopping fruit to put in the crumble. The children also learned about safety whilst using utensils to chop the fruit.

This week we have also been enjoying lots of trips in the local community. We have been having lots of fun visiting Fairweather Park.

In the outdoor classroom we have been exploring water play. We used various jugs to transport the water and discussed capacity when discussing full/empty.

The children explored digital creativity  in the malleable area by using the ChatterBox app on the iPad to bring their playdough creations to life. They discovered that the app can make any picture appear to talk by adding an animated mouth. The children recorded their own voices, choosing different words and phrases for their creations to say. Watching their models come to life was met with lots of excitement, laughter and conversation as they experimented with different recordings. This fun activity encouraged creativity, communication and confidence while introducing the children to digital technology in an engaging and meaningful way.

This week the children have been interested in making pompom jewellery. They have been extending their fine motor skills to wrap the wool around the pom pom maker. The children have been engaged for an extended period of time and had the option to create small pom poms or larger pom poms. They have shown patience while waiting for their turn and have used a waiting list to add their name to so they know who is next to make one. 

The children have been sharing the resources and have played alongside each other to create large scale artwork. They used rollers and brushes of different sizes to make patterns and marks with the paint. They also used the sponges to print various shapes, and some children decided to paint their hands or fingers and pressed these on to the paper also.

This week the children have also been doing lots of baking with Miss Smith.  They followed the recipe and measured the ingredients to make some cakes. They were most excited to take them home and eat them!

We also had lots of fun during a trip to the Avenue to see the Dinosaur Exhibition.

Outdoors in the garden we have been exploring lots of sensory play with the water and sea animals , using the guttering pipes to transport the water.

In the block area, the children have been continuing to explore large scale buildings and adding detail to them. They have been continuing to extend their learning by transporting figures from the small world area to explore role play opportunities. This has developed children’s communication skills as they have been taking on various roles within their play, demonstrating creative and imaginative skills.

The children recently explored early coding and storytelling through the use of Intelino smart train tiles. This hands-on experience allowed them to investigate how different coloured tiles influenced the train’s movement, supporting their understanding of sequencing, cause and effect, and early computational thinking.

Initially, the children spent time experimenting with the tiles to discover what each colour represented. They quickly became engaged in testing ideas, observing how the train responded when different combinations were placed on the track. This open-ended exploration encouraged curiosity, problem-solving, and collaboration.

Building on this learning, the children then used a selection of visual prompts, including images of the nursery, a zoo, and various zoo animals, to create their own narrative journey. The activity developed into a rich storytelling experience as the children collaboratively constructed a “day trip to the zoo” story.

Using the tiles, they programmed the train to follow their story sequence: stopping at the nursery, travelling faster along open sections, slowing down as it passed the crocodile, stopping to feed the elephant, and carefully passing the lion. This helped the children connect physical actions with imaginative storytelling, reinforcing their understanding of sequencing in a meaningful context.

One child naturally emerged as a leader, confidently supporting peers by explaining what each tile sequence did and guiding the group’s decisions. This demonstrated strong communication skills, confidence, and a developing understanding of early coding language.

Overall, the experience provided a rich blend of STEM learning, creativity, and collaborative play, allowing the children to explore technology in a purposeful and engaging way.

The children have also  been mark making with the clay.Some of the children scribed their initials or attempted scribing words. Whilst other children drew pictures on the clay and decorated them with some loose parts!